Restoring our planet demands that we understand that nature is animate, not something to be owned and controlled. To any skeptics out there, more and more research is suggesting that nature—plants and forests—exhibits characteristics of consciousness. Indigenous cultures have long known this to be true. But Western science is finally coming around.

A study by an environmental watchdog group released this week found unacceptable levels of toxic chemicals in tap water used in dozens of American cities. USA TODAY covers the story.

of a tangible tipping point.

A Michigan court has dealt a huge blow to Nestle’s water bottling operations, ruling that Nestle’s planned pumping station would violate zoning laws because its private bottling of water does not constitute “an essential public service”, as Nestle’s legal team argued.

A recent UN climate report confirms what many people have long known: "Levees and floodwalls remove the critical connection between rivers and their floodplains and interrupt important ecological processes that deliver numerous benefits." In other words, flooding becomes worse when we try to fight nature.

Environmental personhood is a legal concept which grants certain "human rights" to parts of the natural world. The inclusion of environmental personhood in our legal systems can be an essential step for protecting different cultures' essential relationships to their lands.

Floodplains connect to rivers, rivers to wetlands, wetlands to oceans—the health of an ecosystem is determined by its complexity. But much human development cuts water off from itself, traps water in pipes, and interferes with water's life-sustaining abilities.

Around 1 million species—plant and animal—are now threatened with extinction, many within decades. This is unprecedented in human history. That's 1 in 8 species of living things. Bigger, more "iconic" animals like rhinos and grizzly bears get a lot of attention, but it's important not to forget about the countless smaller animals and plants threatened by habitat destruction. Download this newsletter to find out how you can take action.

All form is water come to stillness.

The recent Climate Strike brought unprecedented numbers of young people into the streets to demand action.

This poem, inspired partially by a meeting with Betsy, was written by Richard Downes. Richard is an emerging socially engaged activist poet.

Recently, local governments in Mississippi have had to close down all of their beaches to public use after extreme growth of toxic algae—thanks in part to fertilizer runoff from the Mississippi River.

Betsy Damon recently gave a talk at UNESCO’s Global Network of Water Museums Conference in Valencia.

This article by Dora Chi for Audobon reveals the regenerative power of bringing the pulse of water back to a water-deprived landscape.

This letter was written to Mayor de Blasio by a local 6th grader concerned about how our reliance on plastic is harming aquatic life. We can all follow her example.

Karen Thomas, Editor of CIWEM’s The Environment magazine, recently profiled Betsy Damon’s career as an artist and water advocate.

I recently traveled to the U.K., where I participated in the Extreme Views: Think Tank put on by Art Gene.

This article is from selfdevelopshop.com. According to scientific evidence, trees are way more intelligent than we have ever imagined.

Betsy Damon is excited to announce that her new book, A Memory of Living Water, is well underway. The book is being praised by Jane Goodall as “a toolkit that intends to empower everyone.”